Their T20 performances have been far too good to ignore
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 has always been the biggest platform for unknown players to make a big splash and become fan favourites. Some of them shine so bright, they make it to the national team and establish themselves.
Sometimes, there are already established players who have been considered as specialists for a different format of the game but flip the expectations by proving themselves as a strong T20 player.
The IPL 2025 has seen a mix of both. As the tournament reaches its business end, we look at four players who could make the cut for the T20I side very soon.
The Gujarat Titans’ skipper is among the candidates to be considered for the Test captaincy and is already in line for ODI captaincy if Rohit Sharma retires from that format, but T20Is haven’t been his regular gig. The selectors had identified his need in the longer formats so far, but the Punjab batter is proving how valuable he is in the shortest format.
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From 12 matches this season, Gill has 601 runs at a strike rate of 155 and has a ridiculous average of 60. In the last three seasons, Gill has returned run tallies of 483, 890 and 426 which should make a strong case for his T20I selection. His style of play which relies on placement and orthodox strokes can be an asset in bowling-friendly conditions.
There is no dearth of T20 finishers in Indian cricket but Ashutosh Sharma is a different kind who can walk in at the most difficult situations to turn things around. The Railways man has become one of the most crucial players for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025, very much like how he was for Punjab Kings in 2024.
Even his numbers are near identical for both teams – 189 runs from 11 matches in 2024 at a strike rate of 167.2 and 187 runs from 11 matches in 2025 at a strike rate of 167.5 – prove that he is a great fit for the No. 5 or No. 6 slot in India’s T20I set-up which already has a potent finisher like Rinku Singh.
Punjab Kings’ superb campaign in IPL 2025 has its stars at the top – Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Priyansh Arya – but the anchor of their line-up is definitely young Nehal Wadhera who delivered while batting in difficult situations. His 33 not out off 19 balls in Bengaluru was on a minefield pitch while chasing a small total.
His 62 off 41 balls came in a situation where PBKS were hobbling at 4-43 while chasing 206. Most recently, his 70 off 37 balls came against Rajasthan Royals when Punjab were struggling to score runs after losing their top order in a heap.
There is still time for the stylish left-hander to establish himself and make himself an automatic pick for the national side, but he could receive call-up sooner than expected.
IPL 2025 has brought about a Josh Hazlewood-esque transformation in Prasidh Krishna’s career. The Karnataka pacer has been varying his pace beautifully, he is able to bowl whichever length that the batters are finding uncomfortable and most importantly, he is able to bowl in the right areas with surgical precision.
No Wonder GT are top of the table and Prasidh is the Purple Cap holder with 21 wickets from 12 matches at an average of 17. While it seems his place in the Test side is more secure than the T20I side, his new-found excellence in the shorter format will give him edge ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
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